Announcing
the
12th Annual Winter Robin Round-Up!
February 1- 15, 2005
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Photo
Anne Cook
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Calling
All Robins!
Where do robins spend the winter, anyway? Let's find out! Before the
spring migration begins this year, we'd like to know if you have robins
over-wintering
in your town. We hope you'll help with Journey North's Annual Winter
Robin Round-Up! (See instructions below.)
Astonished
observers have been reporting robins. Here's what they're seeing:
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TENNESSEE
Photo
Gerry Stewart (aka lucycat) |
AMITYVILLE,
NY Photo
John Deignan |
FLORIDA
Photo
Shirley |
Here's
a sample of what we're hearing:
- Amityville,
NY (Jan. 22): "Nineteen inches of snow on the ground with
temps of 15 F in Amityville, Long Island, NY and yet there are
hundreds
and hundreds
of Americans
robins in the trees eating holly berries. These robins have been
here for the past month and don't appear to have any interest in
leaving. The blizzard we just experienced had winds of 35 to 45
mph with gusts to 70 mph. The storm started around noon on 1/22/05
and
ended mid day Sunday 1/23/05. Overnight temps Sunday evening went
down to 6 degrees F. When the storm was still active on Sunday
morning, I noticed that the robins took shelter on several hinoki
dwarf cypress evergreens along the south side of the house. At
one point
I counted twenty robins on a single bush. Interestingly, the robins
sat on the limbs eating snow. Some robins would land on the
bushes with holly berries in their beaks. They continued to feed
during
the storm."
- Stillwater,
MN (Jan. 27): "I have never seen a wave of robins ever,
let alone this time of year; they are everywhere! The robins arrived
yesterday,
the 26th; up to
that time we had not seen even one. They are still here today, Jan
27. We estimate about 100 or so between our neighbor's tree and ours.
They are devouring the berries on our flowering crab, dropping many
of the berries on the snow-covered ground."
- Austin,
TX (Jan. 13): "A wave of several hundred robins descended
on our rather large back yard this afternoon. One live oak tree had
50-60 resting.
The air
was thick with high speed swoops in all directions. The outside temperature
is 44 degrees, with light wind at 5 from the south. The temperature
has been dropping here this week, with a severe Arctic front dropping
down the center/east of the country. Last several nights have been
the chilliest of the year. Are they headed South or North?"
- Portage,
IN (Jan. 22): "At least four dozen robins rested in the
tree branches during a snowstorm. They remained from sunrise until
just before noon. They appeared to be moving north."
Now we need to hear from YOU, too. Join the fun and get
on the map of our Winter Robin Round-Up! Here's how:
How
to Participate
1.
Today:
Go outside and look for robins. Ask your neighbors if they have seen
robins. Contact your friends and relatives in other parts of North America.
Ask everybody you know to help you look for robins!
Report
Your Winter Robin Sightings to
Journey North! |
2. February
1-15:
When you spot a robin, report your observations to Journey North.
Important:
Our goal is to show where robins are present
in early February. This means that ANY robin seen
during this time is considered a "winter" sighting.
We will
add your robin observations to the winter map whether they're
- seen
alone (FIRST Robin),
- in
groups (WAVE of Robins),
- singing
(FIRST song), or
- OTHER
Robin observations.
Remember,
you have until February 15th, 2005 to collect your sightings!
3. On February 15th: We'll post a
map to show where robins are found spending the winter of 2005. We'll
also give you a data summary so you can make your own map.
4. After February 15: Continue to
watch for robins and help us track their spring migration. Here's what
to do:
Thank you!
Try
This! Journaling Question
- What
variables do you think affect a robin's survival in winter? What
are some ways you think robins survive, stay warm, and find food
when the ground is
frozen and the air so cold? How do you think they adapt when it gets
cold in the south?
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